When we think of extravagant animals, male peacocks (Pavo cristatus) may be among the first to come to mind. With iridescent blue plumage and a long, hypnotic tail, these Asian birds are symbols of evolution that rewards the most exuberant rather than the strongest.
Male peacocks with the most showy dances and plumage are the ones that manage to attract females and pass their genes to the next generations. However, a large and heavy tail and highly visible feathers may tell potential partners that he is the best option, but this comes at a cost.
Attractiveness is earned at the expense of camouflage and other attributes, such as physical strength, and requires more energy expenditure, such as the energy needed to keep such an animal in flight with a tail that reduces its aerodynamics.
This is just one of many other examples of animals that trade strength for extravagance, which does not include only plumage but also intricate vocalizations and complex dances. Now, a team of scientists comes to confirm that, when it comes to the game of life, being more showy pays off despite the disadvantages.
In a review of nearly 1,200 papers, researchers from the University of New South Wales (Australia), in collaboration with partners from the University of Alberta (Canada) and the Federal University of Viçosa (Brazil), state that the more exuberant an animal is, the more successful it will be in terms of reproduction.
“The more showy a creature is, the earlier it will reproduce, the more offspring it will have, and the more effective it will be at maintaining its territory,” say the scientists in a press release.
Thus, despite the energy they must spend to form and maintain highly colored and peculiar feathers, to perform complex dances or to create sonorous and unusual calls, these “show-offs” tend to be the most fit.
The conclusion is presented in a study published recently in the journal Ecology Letters, in which the authors also reveal that, although we may think they are the males’ prerogative, females also exhibit extravagant behaviours that announce their qualities to potential partners.
Pietro Pollo, the article’s first author, suggests that eccentricity in females has been undervalued in scientific research due to some bias among those who study sexual signals in non-human animals. In such a way, that we often associate showy feathers, dances, and vocalizations more with them than with females.
The team also says that not all extravagant traits are sexual tools, explaining that, at times, garish-colored feathers serve more to keep potential rivals at bay, avoiding dangerous and energetically costly confrontations, than to attract mates.
Moreover, the researchers believe that part of the extravagance in the animal world lies beyond our human capabilities to detect. In other words, there may exist sexual signals electromagnetic, olfactory, and even sonic with frequencies inaudible to humans that are not being accounted for.
Although these signals may go unnoticed, they can be as powerful in the struggle for reproduction and the survival of species as the most showy feathers, the most rhythmic dances, and the most melodious songs, they argue.
